Polo

Water polo standout Jon Walters, of Newport Beach, died of a heart attack Wednesday, the Orange County Register reported. Walters, who played at Newport Harbor High as a freshman and transferred to Mater Dei, was 19. Walters, who played for USC, had been in the hospital since he fell into a coma Jan. 1, his father, Bill said, according to the Register. USC head water polo coach Jovan Vavic said on the school's website: "Jon was a great Trojan, and an outstanding young man from a wonderful family.

A Newport Harbor High School water polo player awaits the OK from doctors before he can get back in the water. Nathan MacLaine, a sophomore and backup goalie for the varsity water polo team was hurt in an accident over the weekend, said his coach Brian Kreutzkamp. The athlete was reportedly wrestling around with friends on the beach when he was knocked over and hit his head, Kreutzkamp said. "His mom came and talked to me," the coach said. "He, according to her, fractured his skull.

John Vargas is Ted Newland's friend. Vargas, the head coach of the top-ranked Stanford men's water polo team, used to live at Newland's house. Vargas, the former Corona del Mar High coach, played at UC Irvine under Newland in the early '80s. However, when Irvine faced the Cardinal in the championship match of the Southern California Tournament Sunday, friendship was hardly on Newland's mind. "I'm a very competitive human being," Newland said. "It's harder because we both like each other a lot. But, in college polo, I'm going to try to kick his (backside)

SAN MARCOS - Jeff Pratt had three goals to lead Orange Coast College to a 12-4 nonconference win over host Palomar College Tuesday in men's water polo. With the game still close at 7-4, the Pirates (14-3-1) scored five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Eric Kim, Doug Jacoby and Kevin Becker each scored twice for the Bucs. Next up for OCC is a road trip to Cypress to take on the Chargers Thursday at 3 p.m. NONCONFERENCE Orange Coast 12, Cypress 4 Orange Coast 2 4 1 5 - 12 Palomar 2 1 1 0 - 4 Orange Coast: Pratt 3, Kim 2, Jacoby 2, Becker 2, Butler 1, Lancelotti 1, Alcarado 1. Saves: Oliver 8.

The UC Irvine women's water polo team has been ranked 12th in the nation by the Collegiate Coaches Water Polo Poll. Coach Julie Swail's Anteaters finished last season ranked 14th in the country. Teams in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation make up 10 of the top 13 teams in the country, with top-ranked Stanford, leading the way. UCI, which will face 14 schools ranked in the preseason top 20 this year, will open the 2003 season Sunday at the university of Redlands Invite.

Tony Altobelli PLEASANT HILL - Orange Coast College men's water polo team will have to go to bed early Thursday night in order to be prepared to face West Valley College in the opening match of the Hyundai-California Community College Water Polo State Championships Friday. Game time is set for 7 a.m. and Coach Chris Oeding's squad will have to open the match against No. 1 Northern California team after a disappointing fourth-place finish at the Southern California regional tournament.

BEIJING — Former UC Irvine All-American Jeff Powers scored two goals as the U.S. Olympic men’s water polo team defeated Germany, 8-7, Monday in China to advance to the medal round for the first time since 1992. Ryan Bailey and Tim Hutten, two other previous UCI All-Americans, scored one goal each as Team USA won Group B with a 4-1 record. The U.S. earned a bye into the semifinals and will face the winner of the Spain-Serbia quarterfinal. The U.S. men’s water polo team is scheduled to play its semifinal Friday at 7:40 p.m. in Beijing (2 a.m., PST)

Newport Harbor High senior Erin Reid has made a verbal committment to play water polo at UCLA next year. Reid said she was almost headed to Santa Clara, but then UCLA Coach Adam Krikorian called and told her she got in. ?I switched plans really quickly,? said Reid, whose parents Scott and Jill also both went to UCLA. Reid, a left-handed driver and transfer from Laguna Beach High, scored 44 goals for the Sailors this year in helping them win the CIF Southern Section Division I title over Back Bay rival Corona del Mar. Reid, a second-team All-Sunset League selection, added 23 steals.

PRINCETON, N.J. - Newport Harbor High product Jon Pharris, a senior co-captain for the Princeton University men's water polo team, has been named the Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division Player of the Week. Pharris, the Tigers' goalie, capped a busy weekend with 15 saves in Princeton's 8-2 victory over Navy. He also recorded 15 saves in a 9-5 win at Bucknell, as the Tigers have opened the CWPA season with four straight victories. Last year, Pharris earned first-team CWPA All-Southern honors and was named to the American Water Polo Coaches Association's all-academic team.

UC Irvine junior Danielle Warde has been named Big West Conference Player of the Year in women's water polo. Warde, who led the Anteaters with 56 goals on the way to the Big West regular-season and tournament titles, is one of five UCI players on the first team. UCI's Dan Klatt was named Coach of the Year. Warde, a utility player, becomes the third UCI player to earn the conference's top individual honor, joining Gianna Rossi in 2009 and current teammate Jessy Cardey, who collected the award in 2011 and 2012.

IRVINE - Do not underestimate the girls' water polo contingent on the Corona del Mar High girls' swim team. Two weeks ago it was junior Grace Morgan stepping in on the "A" relays, helping CdM win the Battle of the Bay for another year. On Tuesday afternoon at University High, sophomore Bridgett Storm took center stage. Storm sure picked a great time to win her first 200-yard freestyle race of the season. She gave her team some early-meet momentum, helping CdM accomplish something it hadn't done in eight years.

WOMEN'S WATER POLO UC Irvine 10, Long Beach State 7 The host Anteaters clinched their third straight Big West Conference regular-season championship behind four goals from Danielle Warde and eight saves from Jillian Yocum on Thursday. No. 6-ranked UCI (21-7, 5-0 in conference) has now won five Big West regular-season crowns. The 'Eaters led, 3-1, after the first period and were not outscored in any of the three remaining quarters. No. 10-ranked Long Beach State fell to 18-10, 2-3. UCI finishes the regular season Friday at 7 p.m. against No. 12 Loyola Marymount at Anteater Aquatics Complex.

Corona del Mar High sophomore Maddie Musselman can't help but notice all of the Olympians helping out with the CdM water polo program. Olympians Kelly Rulon and CdM alumna Tumua Anae are coaching on the CdM Grey girls' club team for CdM Aquatics. Four-time Olympian Ryan Bailey has been helping out with the CdM boys' program for the last several years. "I just think that's so cool," Musselman said. Some people say that Musselman is a future Olympian too. It's not a stretch at all, considering that she made her debut with the U.S. senior national team last December at the Canada Cup and has been participating in national team scrimmages with Coach Adam Krikorian since the high school water polo season ended.

Corona del Mar High alumna Stephania Haralabidis has earned her second straight Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Newcomer of the Week honor for the USC women's water polo team. Haralabidis, a freshman left-hander with the Trojans, scored three goals in top-ranked USC's 15-6 win over No. 5 Arizona State in the MPSF opener March 1. She also won three sprints, dished out three assists and had three steals. Haralabidis' effort against Arizona State gave her 26 goals scored, second on the Trojans (13-0)

IRVINE - The Newport Harbor High girls' water polo team played Laguna Beach four times this season, saving the best for last. The Sailors did not roll over in Saturday afternoon's CIF Southern Section Division 1 title match. They came out aggressive and pushed the Breakers like few teams have this season. Newport Harbor badly wanted its sixth Division 1 title. But Makenzie Fischer helped deliver Laguna Beach its first. The junior had five goals and five steals as the top-seeded Breakers won, 10-7, at Woollett Aquatics Center.

Getting three sevens can be enough to win a sizable amount of money on a slot machine in Las Vegas. For the Newport Harbor High girls' water polo team, three upset wins as the No. 7 seed equals the jackpot. The Sailors indeed entered the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs as the No. 7 seed after late-season losses to Foothill, Corona del Mar and Los Alamitos. But after beating No. 2 Foothill, 5-4, in the quarterfinals and No. 6 Santa Barbara, 11-10, in the semifinals, the Sailors find themselves in the Division 1 title match for the third straight year.